We love to be reminded that athletes don’t live every moment of their lives shrouded in untouchable celebrity. We like to know they can be human, and that's what makes the sight of Hall of Famers going about everyday rigamarole so endearing to fans.

So while seeing them in line at the grocery might touch a personal chord, nothing makes the line between superstars and the average Joe disappear quite like the moment when athletes step up to the pong table. The fame melts away, the beer goggles drape the eyes, and the only thing that matters in their competitive little hearts is sinking thatball into thatdamn cup.

Forget that these are well-oiled, athletic machines. Disregard that they’re tossing pingpong balls into Solo cups on mildewing patios and in dank fraternity houses. They’re people, too. And they’ll put just as much—if not more—effort into sinking the last cup than any Patagonia vest-wearing Sigma Chi you’ll ever meet.

It is a precious sight.

That being said, athletes bring varying talents to the beer pong table, and some of their skill sets transfer more naturally to the art of sinking Death Cups than others.

The following is a breakdown of the majestic sights and sounds of athletes playing beer pong, complete with ratings of their skills, form and choice of venue—all based on my embarrassing wealth of experience with the game.

As luck would have it, the most recent sighting of an athlete playing beer pong might be the most amazing.

Jordan was spotted ponging it up this November on a patio at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Miami. To label the moment as “epic,” well, it doesn’t do it justice.

According to TMZ, His Airness randomly dropped in on a group of young groomsmen who were pregaming a wedding, and he just started dropping dimes. Better still is how the bros began playing Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as In Paris."

The footage of Jordan ponging it up caused a rash of speculation concerning His Airness’ appreciation of the “Elbow Rule.” His leaning over the table in Miami has been likened to his push-off on Bryon Russell.

Cleanliness: The “nice” Wendy’s.

The outdoor patio at the Ritz-Carlton looks a bit gamy, but we've all played on much worse.

Joakim Noah: Pool Ponger

Image via TMZ

Another basketball player with a soft touch at the pong table, Joakim Noah was spotted draining cups poolside at a University of Florida apartment complex in 2011.

The original TMZ report states that Noah’s pong game was locked down. TMZ also claims he played for two hours straight—a standard duration and definitely long enough for the bell curve of intoxication to affect his game.

Skill Level: Incomplete

There’s no video of the incident, so we’ll have to believe the reports that Noah wasn’t chucking up air balls or sinking the [censored] cup time and again.

Form: 5.

Considering the game took place in a pool, it’s probably safe to assume that things got sloppy.

Cleanliness Level: Bleach soup.

If the ball doesn’t fall into beer, it rolls into a giant, chlorinated water cup.

Claude Giroux: Improving His Handicap

Image via @alexanndra

When you jack up both your wrists before the freakin’ weekend, you are left with two options.

You can sit around, watching Scrubs reruns and eating “Everything” Pretzel Crisps—or you can man up, grab the night by the tenderloin and play beer pong in a soft cast.

Philadelphia Flyers winder Claude Giroux chose the latter path and dropped noise at the pong table wearing not one but two soft casts on his arms. They weren’t for show, either. He had just had dual surgeries to shave down a bone spur and repair torn cartilage in his wrists.